Unredacted manifest was filed along with other supplemental information on July 12.

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Spaceflight also wishes to call the Bureau’s attention to the fact that its updatedmanifest now shows only 74 spacecraft to be deployed by the SSO-A, instead of the 114spacecraft that were originally scheduled for this mission. The possibility that some spacecraftmight not be ready for the mission and that the total number of spacecraft to be deployedmight be reduced was noted in the Application. It is possible that this number between nowand launch will be further reduced. The number of spacecraft to be deployed will not beincreased.

Looks like the flock of Doves from Planet has been removed, which would leave four other removals that I haven't had time to look for yet.

Looks like ORS-6 (COVWR), COPPER2, Myriota, and some of the Doves need to be removed from my existing list. 26 new customers to add, including a duo and a trio of US Government cubesats (I'm assuming the other duo is still ORS-7). I'll try to look them up over the next few days. There are now 15 microsatellites and 59 cubesats.

Looks like ORS-6 (COVWR), COPPER2, Myriota, and some of the Doves need to be removed from my existing list. 26 new customers to add, including a duo and a trio of US Government cubesats (I'm assuming the other duo is still ORS-7). I'll try to look them up over the next few days. There are now 15 microsatellites and 59 cubesats.

I do not expect SpaceICE and Edgecube to be on this launch, as they were recently removed from NASA's ELaNa-24 manifest due to delays.

The dispenser structure has three parts. The lower part of the MPC (Multiple Payload Carrier) staying attached to the second stage of the F9 will have 4 microsatellites. The Upper Free Flyer (four cylindrical sections including the upper part of the MPC) will have 12 microsatellites and 46 cubesats massing 1199kg and the dispenser has a mass of 1072kg, for a UFF total of 2271kg at deployment from F9. The Lower Free Flyer contained inside of the MPC carries 52 cubesats with a mass of 161kg and the LFF structure has a mass of 260kg, for a total LFF mass of 421kg at deployment from F9.

Astro Digital Landmapper satellites. One satellite already in orbit, up to 30 active satellites at a time planned. FCC has authorized the launch of first five satellites.FCC File Number SAT-LOA-20170508-00071

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Astro Digital anticipates the launch of a 30-satellite constellation consisting of 10 broad-area coverage (BC) spacecraft (identified as CORVUS-BC type), having a ground sampling distance (GSD) resolution of 22 meters and 20 high definition (HD) spacecraft (identified as CORVUS-HD type), having a GSD resolution of 2.5 meters. Both satellite types, forming the whole Landmapper system, will use the same nominal orbit set.

SSO-A: SmallSat Express to launch largest rideshare mission from a US-based launch vehicle, with 25 percent of the customers launching for the first time

Seattle – August 6, 2018 – Spaceflight, the leading rideshare and mission management provider, announced details behind its SSO-A mission, the largest single rideshare mission from a US-based launch vehicle to date. Spaceflight has contracted with more than 70 spacecraft from approximately 35 different organizations, to launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9 later this year. The mission, named SSO-A: SmallSat Express, represents the company’s purchase of an entire Falcon 9 to accommodate the growing number of domestic, international, government and commercial customers seeking affordable rideshare options to launch their spacecraft into orbit.

“As our inaugural dedicated rideshare mission, SSO-A: SmallSat Express is a momentous milestone for Spaceflight,” said Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight. “Launching more than 70 satellites from one launch vehicle is a challenging feat and our talented team has made many advances to make this historic launch a reality. As demand for affordable launch options continues to grow, dedicated rideshare missions will play an important role in providing frequent and reliable access to space.”

SSO-A, which signifies the company’s first dedicated rideshare mission to a Sun-Synchronous Low Earth Orbit, is slated to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It includes 15 microsats and 56 cubesats from commercial and government entities, of which more than 30 are from international organizations from 18 countries including United States, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Finland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Germany, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, and India.

Planet is sending two SkySat small sats, the primary spacecraft on the launch, along with several Dove cubesats. They are also sponsoring the launch of two cubesats: one from Georgia Institute of Technology and one from University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

Among the spacecraft onboard, 23 are from universities, 19 are imaging satellites, 23 are technology demonstrations, two are art exhibits, and one is from a high school. Seventy-five percent are commercial spacecraft.

A few notable customers include University of North Carolina-Wilmington, NovaWurks, Ghalam, Helios Wire / Sirion Global, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Astrocast, Honeywell Aerospace, HawkEye 360, Nevada Museum of Art, Fleet Space Technologies, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Audacy, Capella Space Corporation, University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and many others.

“Thanks to a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, UNC-Wilmington is ready to launch the first cubesat equipped to provide scientists around the world with a new instrument to study the ocean,” said Dr. John M. Morrison, Professor, Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography and Center for Marine Science at UNC-Wilmington. “It’s been a tremendous team effort with NASA and others to design and build the low-cost, next generation, miniature ocean color sensors aboard a cubesat, and we’re excited to work with Spaceflight to see it off into orbit. By making the data from the SeaHawk-1 available to everyone for free, our hope is to address a number of critical societal needs, especially in coastal regions.”

With the majority of the spacecraft being integrated in Spaceflight’s Auburn, Wash.-facility, the stack is one of the most complex and intricate endeavors the company has undertaken. The smallsats will be integrated with a variety of dispensers and avionics to an upper free flyer and lower free flyer. Spaceflight is handling all the mission management planning, engineering, integration, mission assurance and system engineering processes, regulatory and policy procedures, contracting, and business development for the mission.

Spaceflight has launched more than 140 satellites to date from a variety of launch vehicles including Falcon 9, PSLV, Dnepr, Antares, and Soyuz. It recently announced agreements for launches on Electron, Vega, and LauncherOne. The company has already launched 22 spacecraft on two missions this year and has plans to launch 97 more across six upcoming missions to LEO and GEO by the end of 2018. Additionally, the company has plans for approximately 10 scheduled missions in 2019.

About Spaceflight

Spaceflight is revolutionizing the business of spaceflight by delivering a new model for accessing space. A comprehensive launch services and mission management provider, the company provides a straightforward and cost-effective suite of products and services including state-of-the-art satellite infrastructure and rideshare launch offerings that enable commercial and government entities to achieve their mission goals on time and on budget. A service offering of Spaceflight Industries in Seattle Wash., Spaceflight provides its services through a global network of partners, ground stations and launch vehicle providers. For more information, visit http://www.spaceflight.com.

A company statement said only that the launch was scheduled for later this year, but Blake said Spaceflight expects the SSO-A mission to launch in the fourth quarter. “We don’t have an exact date yet, but we’re definitely in the fall,” he said. One source with a payload on the mission said they’ve been told to plan for a mid-November launch.

...

That mission [SSO-A] was delayed by a year because of other delays in the SpaceX launch manifest. Blake said the company was open to doing similar missions in the future, but wanted to wait until after the SSO-A mission launched before making plans. “I think there’s definitely a chance of us doing more, like an SSO-B and an SSO-C and the like,” he said.

Future dedicated rideshare missions, though, might use smaller medium-class launch vehicles, such as Arianespace’s Vega or India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. “They’re easier to fill, certainly,” he said. “At the various different price points, it makes it easier to get a mission together.”

In the above referenced application, Spaceflight stated that the DeOrbitSail device that itplanned to use was similar to a device which was successfully operated in low earth orbit on a previousflight, but that the sail material was to be replaced with one more resilient to degradation fromexposure to atomic oxygen. Spaceflight also noted that the new device would be subject to additionaltesting to assure its successful operation in space.

Based on recent cold-temperature deployment testing, Spaceflight has determined to changethe DeOrbitSail material from BSF-30 to Aluminized Kapton, which is the same material used on thepreviously successful mission. The cold-temperature deployment testing demonstrated that the BSF-30sail material was too stiff to deploy reliably. Now, Aluminized Kapton, the same sail material used onprevious deorbit devices made by Surrey Space Center, will be utilized for SSO-A DeOrbitSail system.

The Aluminized Kapton passed all functional testing, but this material is more susceptible to theeffects of atomic oxygen erosion over time. To address this concern, four different configurations wereanalyzed: two free-flyers (Both the Upper Free Flyer “UFF” and Lower Free Flyer “LFF”); no spacecraftdeployments (“mission failure”) and all spacecraft deployments for each. Each of those fourconfigurations had three scenarios that were analyzed: no DeOrbitSail erosion (base line scenario),DeOrbitSail disintegration at the erosion rate determined by the manufacturer, Surrey Space Center,and the atomic oxygen environment (the expected operation), and a bounding case where theDeOrbitSail experiences 10 times that erosion rate (not expected; for sensitivity analysis only). Theexpected operation shows that, when compared with Spaceflight’s original analysis (based on the use ofthe BSF-30 material), the deorbit time for the UFF is likely to increase by a few years, while the LFF willincrease by several months. All scenarios show compliance with the 25-year reentry requirement,including the 10 times erosion rate scenario.

On the launch date, SkySat-14 and SkySat-15 will be released by the launch vehicle in a clusterthat is so closely spaced that ordinary telemetry transmissions from the different satellites—which willuse the same frequencies—would be indistinguishable at earth stations for the first few days on-orbit. Tofacilitate the identification and monitoring of each individual satellite, Terra Bella therefore requestsauthority to temporarily modify the telemetry downlink frequency (Channel ID TTC1) for each of thenew satellites to a frequency that is unique but close to the frequency authorized for operations under CallSign S2862. Without the requested temporary modification, both satellites could be transmitting at thesame time, on the same frequency, and thus interfering with each other.

Specifically, Terra Bella requests authority to assign each of the two new satellites one of thefollowing frequencies for telemetry transmissions effective upon launch:● 8374.75 MHz● 8375.25 MHz

Each of the proposed frequencies is within the 8025-8400 MHz band allocated to EESS, as well as within250 kHz of the telemetry downlink frequency of 8375.00 MHz currently authorized for Call Sign S2862.Assuming nominal conditions, after approximately 30 to 60 days, the satellite orbits will have divergedenough so that the earth stations are able to distinguish each individual satellite. At that time, the satelliteswill be commanded to transmit on the licensed frequency of 8375.00 MHz for permanent operations.

I believe this is one of the payloads on this launch and like Humanity Star before it has annoyed astronomers.

Trevor Paglen Is About to Launch a Reflective Sculpture Into Outer Space, and Astronomers Are Really frakked Off About It

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This fall, Trevor Paglen will launch a shiny sculpture into space, a reflective, nonfunctional satellite. The orbital artwork is meant to encourage viewers to reconsider their view of humanity and its place in the universe. A group of astronomers, however, has had a rather different reaction: They hate it.

Specifically, critics have claimed that the piece will cause light pollution that could interfere with important astronomical observations.